Hawkeye To Consider Dissolving Surveillance Camera Group

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WILKES-BARRE – Board members of Hawkeye Security Solutions voted on Wendesday afternoon to hire an attorney to help with the process of considering whether the board should dissolve the non-profit group.

Hawkeye officials said that the last contract providing revenue is expected to expect to expire this week, and the non-profit only has around $23,000 in its bank account.

Assistant city attorney Bill Vinsko told Newswatch 16 that Wilkes-Barre is preparing for the possibility of taking control of the network of 300 surveillance cameras in January, and that the cash-strapped operation has a better chance at funding if it is operated by a city, rather than a non-profit organization.

"Having the city do this under our control with our police department, we have more control and more opportunity to move funds from one project to another, and then submit those projects to the state or to the federal government to create that opportunity,” said Vinsko.

Vinsko said that half of the cameras are owned by the city, the rest are owned by Hawkeye.

Hawkeye Board Chairman Frank Majikes told Newswatch 16 that it is too soon to say if the group would give away or sell the camera equipment to the city, if it chooses to dissolve.

“They’re an asset to our community. It`s too bad we don`t have more funding to get more. Of course there will be the critics out there that will disagree with me,” said Majikes.

Hawkeye and city officials said that more information is expected to be released next month, but the top priority is to make sure the electronic eyes continue monitoring Wilkes-Barre.